The Field And The Knower Of The Field

You are a wave in the ocean of Existence. When the wave understands that it is not separate from the ocean, it drops its resistance and merges with the ocean.

arjuna uvāca prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva kṣetraṁ kṣetrajñameva ca I etad veditum icchāmi jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ ca keśava II 13.1

13.1 Arjuna says: O Keśava, I wish to know and understand about prakṛti and puruṣa, passive and active energies. The field [kṣetra] and the knower of the field [kṣetrajña], and of knowledge [jñānaṁ] and of the end of knowledge [jñeyaṃ].

śrībhagavānuvāca idaṁ śarīraṁ kaunteya kṣetram ity abhidhīyate I etadyo vetti taṁ prāhuḥ kṣetrajña iti tadvidaḥ II 13.2

13.2 Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa replies: This body, O Kaunteya, is called the field, kṣetra. Anyone who knows this body is called the knower of the field, kṣetrajña.

kṣetrajñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarvakṣetreṣu bhārata I kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama II 13.3 13.3 O Bhārata, know that I am the Knower in all bodies [kṣetrajña], the witness. In my opinion knowledge means the understanding of this body or the field of activity as well as the Knower of this field.

tat kṣetraṁ yac ca yādṛk ca yadvikāri yataś ca yat I sa ca yo yat prabhāvaś ca tat samāsena me sṛṇu II 13.4

13.4 Understand my summary of this field of activity and how it is constituted, what its changes are, how it is produced, who that knower of the field of activities is, and what his influences are.

ṛṣibhir bahudhā gītaṁ chandobhir vividhaiḥ pṛthak I brahma-sūtra padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ II 13.5

13.5 That knowledge of the field of activities and of the knower of activities is described by various sages with chants in the scriptures It is presented with all reasoning as to cause and effect.

mahā-bhūtāny ahaṅkāro buddhir avyaktam eva ca I indriyāṇi daśaikaṁ ca pañca cendriya gocarāḥ II 13.6

icchādveṣaḥ sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ saṅghātaścetanā dhṛtiḥ I etatkṣetraṁ samāsena savikāram udāhṛtam II 13.7

13.6,7 The field of activities and its interactions are said to be: the five elements of nature, ego, intelligence, the mind, the formless, the ten senses of perception and action, as well as the five objects of senses and desire, hatred, happiness, distress, the aggregate, the life symptoms, and convictions.

amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam I ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ II 13.8

indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam anahaṁkāra eva ca I janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi- duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam II 13.9

asaktir anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ putra-dāra-gṛhādiṣu I nityaṁ ca sama-cittatvam iṣṭāniṣṭopapattiṣu II 13.10

mayi cānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī I vivikta-deśa-sevitvam aratirjana saṁsadi II 13.11

adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam I etaj-jñānam iti proktam ajñānaṁ yad atonyathā II 13.12

13.8,9,10,11,12 Humility, absence of pride, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, service to an enlightened spiritual Master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification; absence of ego, the perception of the pain of the cycle of birth and death, old age and disease; nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest and even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self realization, and philosophical search for the absolute truth: All these I thus declare to be knowledge and anything contrary to these is ignorance.

jñeyaṁ yat tat pravakṣyāmi yaj jñātvāmṛtam aśnute I anādi matparaṁ brahma na sat tan nāsad ucyate II 13.13

13.13 I shall fully give you the understanding about the knowable with which one can taste eternal bliss or the being or the consciousness that has no beginning. A life beyond the law of cause and effect and the material world.

sarvataḥ pāṇipādaṁ tat sarvato 'kṣiśiromukham I sarvataḥ śrutimalloke sarvamāvṛtya tiṣṭhati II 13.14

13.14 With hands and feet everywhere, with eyes, heads and mouths everywhere, with ears everywhere, He exists in the worlds, enveloping all. The Paramātman (supreme spirit) is all pervading. He exists everywhere.

sarvendriya-guṇābhāsaṁ sarvendriya-vivarjitam I asaktaṁ sarva-bhṛccaiva nirguṇaṁ guṇabhoktṛ ca II 13.15

13.15 The Paramātman is the original source of all the senses. Yet, He is beyond all the senses. He is unattached. Although the consciousness is the maintainer of all the living beings, yet He transcends the modes of the nature and at the same time He is the master of the modes of our material nature.

bahir antaśca bhūtānām acaraṁ carameva ca I sūkṣmatvāt tad avijñeyaṁ dūrasthaṁ cāntike ca tat II 13.16

13.16 The Supreme Truth exists both interally and externally, in the moving and the nonmoving. It is beyond the power of the material senses to see or to know Him. Although far, far away, He is also near to all.

avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu vibhaktamiva ca sthitam I bhūta-bhartṛ ca tajjñeyaṁ grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca II 13.17

13.17 Although the Paramātman appears to be divided, He is the indivisible Whole. He is situated as one. Though He is the maintainer of every living entity, it is to be understood that He consumes and creates all.

jyotiṣām api tajjyotis tamasaḥ paramucyate I jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ jñāna-gamyaṁ hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam II 13.18

13.18 He is the source of light in all-luminous objects. He is beyond the darkness of matter and is formless. He is knowledge, He is the object of knowledge, and He is the goal of knowledge. He is situated in everyone's heart.

iti kṣetraṁ tathā jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ co 'ktaṁ samāsataḥ I madbhakta etadvijñāya madbhāvāyopapadyate II 13.19

13.19 Thus the field of activities, knowledge and the knowable has been summarily described by Me. It is only when we can understand the true nature of our Supreme Self and the material world with which we have created false identities that we can go beyond this and attain the Supreme Self itself.

prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva viddhyanādī ubhāvapi I vikārāṁś ca guṇāṁś caiva viddhi prakṛti saṁbhavān II 13.20

13.20 Prakṛti or the field and its attributes and the Puruṣa or the knower or the Supreme Consciousness are both without beginning. All the transformations of nature that we see are produced by the field or prakṛti.

kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛtve hetuḥ prakṛtirucyate I puruṣaḥ sukha-duḥkhānāṁ bhoktṛtve heturucyate II 13.21

13.21 In the production of the body and the senses, prakṛti is said to be the cause; In the experience of pleasure and pain, Puruṣa is said to be the cause.

puruṣaḥ prakṛtistho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān-guṇān I kāraṇaṁ guṇasaṇgosya sadasadyonijanmasu II 13.22

13.22 The living entity in the material nature follows the way of life, enjoying the moods of nature. Due to association with the material nature it meets the good or evil among various species.

upadraṣṭānumantā ca bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ I paramātmeti cāpyukto dehe'sminpuruṣaḥ paraḥ II 13.23

13.23 Yet, in this body there is a transcendental energy. He who is divine, who exists as a owner or the witness, supporter, enjoyer and the pure witnessing consciousness, is known as the Paramātman.

ya evaṁ vetti puruṣaṁ prakṛtiṁ ca guṇaiḥ saha I sarvathā vartamānopi na sa bhūyobhijāyate II 13.24

13.24 One who understands this philosophy concerning material nature, the living entity and the interaction of the modes of nature is sure to attain liberation. He will not take birth here again, regardless of his present position.

dhyānenātmani paśyanti kecidātmānamātmanā I anye sāṅkhyena yogena karmayogena cāpare II 13.25

13.25 Some perceive the Paramātman in their inner psyche through mind and intellect that have been purified by meditation or by metaphysical knowledge [sāṅkhya yoga], and others through working without fruitive desire [karma yoga].

anye tv evam ajānantaḥ śrutvānyebhya upāsate I te 'pi 'cātitaranty eva mṛtyuṁ śrutiparāyaṇāḥ II 13.26

13.26 There are those who, though not conversant in spiritual knowledge, begin to worship the Supreme personality upon hearing about Him from others. Through the process of hearing about the Supreme Self, they also transcend the path of birth and death.

yāvatsañjāyate kiñcit sattvaṁ sthāvarajaṅgamam I kṣetra-kṣetrajña-saṁyogāt tadviddhi bharatarṣabha II 13.27

13.27 Bhārata, know that whatever you see in Existence, both the movable or the immovable, comes into being, only by the union of kṣetra, the field and kṣetrajña, the knower of the field.

samaṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu tiṣṭhantaṁ parameśvaram I vinaśyatsv-avinaśyantaṁ yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati II 13.28

13.28 One who sees the Supreme Spirit [Parameśvara] accompanying the individual soul in all bodies, who understands that neither the individual soul nor the Supreme Spirit is ever destroyed, he actually sees.

samaṁ paśyanhi sarvatra samavasthitamīsvaram I na hinastyātmanā 'tmanaṁ tato yāti parāṁ gatim II 13.29

13.29 When one does not get degraded or influenced by the mind and when he can see the Supreme Spirit in all living and non-living things, One reaches the transcendental destination.

prakṛtyaiva ca karmāṇi kriyamāṇāni sarvaśaḥ I yaḥ paśyati tathātmānam akartāraṁ sa paśyati II 13.30

13.30 One who can see that all activities are performed by the body, which is created of material nature, sees that the Self does nothing, he actually sees.

yadā bhūta-pṛthag-bhāvam ekasthamanupaśyati I tata eva ca vistāraṁ brahma saṁpadyate tadā II 13.31

13.31 When a person can see the Supreme Self in all living entities, then he will cease to see the separateness among the living entities. He will see that the whole Universe (Brahman) is an expansion and expression of the same truth.

anāditvānnirguṇa tvāt paramātmāyamavyayaḥ I śarīrastho'pi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate II 13.32

13.32 Those with the vision of eternity can see that the soul is transcendental, eternal, and beyond the modes of nature. Despite contact with the material body, O Arjuna, the soul neither does anything nor is attached.

yathā sarvagataṁ saukṣmyād ākāśaṁ nopalipyate I sarvatrāvasthito dehe tathātmā nopalipyate II 13.33

13.33 The sky, due to its subtle nature, does not mix with anything, although it is all-pervading. Similarly, the soul, situated in Brahman, does not mix with the body, though situated in that body.

yathā prakāśayatyekaḥ kṛtsnaṁ lokamimaṁ raviḥ I kṣetraṁ kṣetrī tathā kṛtsnaṁ prakāśayati bhārata II 13.34

13.34 O son of Bhārata, as the Sun alone illumines the entire Universe, so does the living entity, one within the body, illumines the entire consciousness.

kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor evam antaraṁ jñāna-cakṣuṣā I bhūta-prakṛti-mokṣaṁ ca ye viduryānti te param II 13.35

13.35 Those, who see with the eyes of knowledge, the difference between the body-mind, kṣetra and the knower of the body-mind, kṣetrajña, can understand the process of liberation from the bondages of the material nature and attain Paramātman.

iti śrīmad bhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyām yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjuna saṁvāde kṣetra kṣetrajña vibhāgayogo nāma trayodaśo'dhyāyaḥ II

In the Upaniṣad of Śrimad Bhagavad Gītā, the scripture of yoga dealing with Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, the science of Brahman, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṁvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Arjuna, this is thirteenth chapter named, Kṣetra Kṣetrajña Vibhāga Yogaḥ**,** 'the Field and Kṣetrajña, the Knower of the Field.'

n this chapter, Kṛṣṇa speaks to enrich Arjuna about kṣetra (Field) and kṣetrajña (Knower of the Field).

I Kṛṣṇa clearly talks about the physical matter in which we exist and the Consciousness that stays in the matter. The whole Universe, the Universal Consciousness, is the space in which we all happen. Kṛṣṇa uses the wave and the ocean as an analogy. The ocean is the Universal consciousness, Ātma or Brahman. Kṛṣṇa reveals the secret that we are like the waves, and the whole is the ocean. He explains how we can experience completion with the ocean.

We have forgotten that we are a part of the ocean, that we belong to kṣetrajña. Kṣetrajña means Consciousness, the cause for the field. Kṣetra means field, the body-mind and kṣetrajña means knower of the field, the Consciousness. Kṛṣṇa reveals the sacred secrets of kṣetra and kṣetrajñya. If we don't know the secrets of kṣetrajña, the kṣetra acts as if it is the owner.